How to Increase Your Pain Tolerance | Ross Edgley & Dr. Andrew Huberman

Main Ideas

• Ross Edgley’s story about pain tolerance: Ross recalls living with San Bushmen in Namibia and taking part in demanding endurance runs. He says a man of Kalenjin heritage told him that, in his view, Kalenjin success in distance running was linked to a cultural tradition that tested boys’ ability to endure pain without flinching. This is Ross’s recollection of the man’s account, not independently verified evidence.
• Pain and stress involve multiple body systems: Andrew Huberman describes several chemicals associated with highly arousing, painful stress, including epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine, dopamine, cortisol when stress persists, and dynorphin. He emphasizes that these are only part of a much broader set of processes.
• Familiarity can help manage a stress response: Repeated, intentional exposure to a manageable stressor may help someone recognize the initial rush of adrenaline and avoid adding panic to it. The stressor may still feel unpleasant; the person may simply become better at regulating their response and getting through it.
• How much resilience transfers is uncertain: Cold exposure may help people practice staying composed under stress, but it should not be assumed to make someone resilient in every situation. Someone who can stay calm in cold water may still find a difficult conversation or another kind of stress challenging. Huberman cautions against broad claims because the evidence is limited.
• Individual differences matter: People’s pain thresholds may reflect both predispositions and past experience. A very high threshold can also be dangerous if it leads someone to ignore risks or consequences.

Cold-Exposure Approach and Cautions

• Use cold exposure only intentionally and safely, such as through a cold shower or safe immersion.
• Expect an intense initial response. Huberman says people may feel disoriented or experience a rush of adrenaline for the first 20–30 seconds.
• Rather than escalating the panic, work on slowing the breathing, settling the mind, and thinking through how to manage or leave the situation.
• The proposed benefit is practice in recognizing and regulating the stress response—not eliminating the body’s response to cold.
• Huberman warns against reckless cold-water behavior, including hyperventilating before entering cold water or jumping into ice holes, which can lead to serious injury or death.

The discussion also compares cold-exposure practice with the gradual habituation used to treat phobias, such as fear of public speaking. Huberman suggests that success with one stressor does not necessarily carry over to others.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Ross Edgley — Shares his experience in Namibia and recounts what an unnamed man of Kalenjin heritage told him.
• Dr. Andrew Huberman — Discusses stress-related neurochemicals, habituation, cold exposure, and the limits of transferring resilience across situations.
• Unnamed Kalenjin man — An indirect source in Ross’s anecdote; he is not presented as speaking directly in the video.